Techniques for determining a position fix of an object using one or more mobile devices co-located with the object

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for combining observations obtained at two different mobile devices attached to a human user for performing a navigation operation. For example, observations of a signal acquired at a first mobile device may be selected for computing a position fix based, at least in part, on a utility indicator associated with the observations.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/932,227, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINING A POSITION FIXOF AN OBJECT USING ONE OR MORE MOBILE DEVICES CO-LOCATED WITH THEOBJECT”, filed Feb. 16, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/487,705, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINING APOSITION FIX OF AN OBJECT USING ONE OR MORE MOBILE DEVICES CO-LOCATEDWITH THE OBJECT”, filed Apr. 14, 2017 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,900,746, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/566,552, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINING A POSITION FIX OF ANOBJECT USING ONE OR MORE MOBILE DEVICES CO-LOCATED WITH THE OBJECT”,filed Dec. 10, 2014 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,641,974, all of whichare assigned to the assignee hereof, and expressly incorporated hereinby reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electronic devices, andmore particularly to methods, apparatuses and articles of manufacturefor use by and/or in a first mobile device to determine a position fixof an object co-located with the first mobile device and at least oneother mobile device.

2. Information

As its name implies, a mobile device may be moved about, e.g. typicallybeing carried by or otherwise co-located in some manner with an object,such as, e.g., a person, an animal, a machine, etc. By way of somenon-limiting examples, a mobile device may take the form of a cellulartelephone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, awearable computer, a navigation and/or tracking device, etc.

Certain mobile devices may be enabled to provide, support, and/orotherwise make use of certain wireless signal based positioningtechniques/services, e.g., applying various satellite positioning system(SPS) technologies, various cellular technologies, various wirelessindoor positioning technologies, and/or the like or some combinationthereof. In certain instances, a mobile device may be provided withpositioning assistance data that may enable the mobile device toestimate its location (e.g., with regard to a map, etc.) using one ormore positioning techniques or technologies. As such, a mobile devicethat may be co-located with an object may be able to indicate, at leastin part, a reasonable position and/or other like information regardingthe movement or positioning of the object. However, in certaininstances, certain wireless signals used for positioning may becomeunavailable to a mobile device (e.g., due to attenuation, scattering,absorption, reflections, interference, etc.).

SUMMARY

Briefly, particular implementations are directed to a method comprising,at a first mobile device: detecting a presence of a second mobiledevice, the first mobile device and the second mobile device beinglocated on different locations on a human body; acquiring by said firstmobile device a first signal from a first fixed transmitter device toobtain one or more first observations of said first signal; acquiring bysaid first mobile device a second signal from a second fixed transmitterdevice to obtain one or more first observations of said second signal;receiving one or more messages from the second mobile device comprisingone or more second observations of the first signal transmitted from thefirst fixed transmitter device, wherein the one or more secondobservations of the first signal transmitted by the first fixedtransmitter device are obtained by the second mobile device, and one ormore second observations of the second signal from the second fixedtransmitter, wherein the one or more second observations of the secondsignal transmitted by the second fixed transmitter device are obtainedby the second mobile device; selecting at least one of the one or morefirst observations of said first signal for computing a position fix forsaid human body based at least in part, on a first indicator, the firstindicator being indicative of a utility of the one or more firstobservations of said first signal relative to a second indicator, thesecond indicator being indicative of a utility of the one or more secondobservations of said first signal; and selecting at least one of the oneor more second observations of said second signal for computing saidposition fix for said human body based at least in part, on a thirdindicator, the third indicator being indicative of a utility of the oneor more first observations of said second signal relative to a fourthindicator, the fourth indicator being indicative of a utility of the oneor more second observations of said second signal.

Another particular implementation is directed to a first mobile devicecomprising: a transceiver device for transmitting messages to andreceiving messages from a wireless communication network; and one ormore processors to: detect a presence of a second mobile device, saidfirst mobile device and said second mobile device being located ondifferent locations on a human body; obtain one or more observations ofa first signal transmitted by a first fixed transmitter device andacquired at said transceiver device; obtain one or more observations ofa second signal transmitted from a second fixed transmitter device andacquired at said transceiver device; obtain, from one or more messagesreceived at the transceiver device from the second mobile device, one ormore second observations of the first signal transmitted from the firstfixed transmitter device, wherein the one or more second observations ofthe first signal transmitted by the first fixed transmitter device areobtained by the second mobile device, and one or more secondobservations of the second signal from the second fixed transmitter,wherein the one or more second observations of the second signaltransmitted by the second fixed transmitter device are obtained by thesecond mobile device; select at least one of the one or more firstobservations of said first signal for computing a position fix for saidhuman body based at least in part, on a first indicator, the firstindicator being indicative of a utility of the one or more firstobservations of said first signal relative to a second indicator, thesecond indicator being indicative of a utility of the one or more secondobservations of said first signal; and select at least one of the one ormore second observations of said second signal for computing saidposition fix for said human body based at least in part, on a thirdindicator, the third indicator being indicative of a utility of the oneor more first observations of said second signal relative to a fourthindicator, the fourth indicator being indicative of a utility of the oneor more second observations of said second signal.

Another particular implementation is directed to a non-transitorystorage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereonwhich are executable by one or more processors of a first mobile deviceto: detect a presence of a second mobile device, said first mobiledevice and said second mobile device being located on differentlocations on a human body; obtain one or more observations of a firstsignal transmitted by a first fixed transmitter device and acquired atsaid first mobile device; obtain one or more observations of a secondsignal transmitted from a second fixed transmitter device and acquiredat said first mobile device; obtain, from one or more messages receivedat the first mobile device from the second mobile device, one or moresecond observations of the first signal transmitted from the first fixedtransmitter device, wherein the one or more second observations of thefirst signal transmitted by the first fixed transmitter device areobtained by the second mobile device, and one or more secondobservations of the second signal from the second fixed transmitter,wherein the one or more second observations of the second signaltransmitted by the second fixed transmitter device are obtained by thesecond mobile device; select at least one of the one or more firstobservations of said first signal for computing a position fix for saidhuman body based at least in part, on a first indicator, the firstindicator being indicative of a utility of the one or more firstobservations of said first signal relative to a second indicator, thesecond indicator being indicative of a utility of the one or more secondobservations of said first signal; and select at least one of the one ormore second observations of said second signal for computing saidposition fix for said human body based at least in part, on a thirdindicator, the third indicator being indicative of a utility of the oneor more first observations of said second signal relative to a fourthindicator, the fourth indicator being indicative of a utility of the oneor more second observations of said second signal.

Another particular implementation is directed to a first mobile device,comprising: means for detecting a presence of a second mobile device,said first mobile device and said second mobile device being located ondifferent locations on a human body; means for acquiring by said firstmobile device a first signal from a first fixed transmitter device toobtain one or more first observations of said first signal; means foracquiring by said first mobile device a second signal from a secondfixed transmitter device to obtain one or more first observations ofsaid second signal; means for receiving one or more messages from thesecond mobile device comprising one or more second observations of thefirst signal transmitted from the first fixed transmitter device,wherein the one or more second observations of the first signaltransmitted by the first fixed transmitter device are obtained by thesecond mobile device, and one or more second observations of the secondsignal from the second fixed transmitter, wherein the one or more secondobservations of the second signal transmitted by the second fixedtransmitter device are obtained by the second mobile device; means forselecting at least one of the one or more first observations of saidfirst signal for computing a position fix for said human body based atleast in part, on a first indicator, the first indicator beingindicative of a utility of the one or more first observations of saidfirst signal relative to a second indicator, the second indicator beingindicative of a utility of the one or more second observations of saidfirst signal; and means for selecting at least one of the one or moresecond observations of said second signal for computing said positionfix for said human body based at least in part, on a third indicator,the third indicator being indicative of a utility of the one or morefirst observations of said second signal relative to a fourth indicator,the fourth indicator being indicative of a utility of the one or moresecond observations of said second signal.

Another particular implementation is directed to method comprising, at afirst mobile device: identifying a presence of a second mobile device,the first mobile device and the second mobile device being co-locatedwith an object; identifying a first operative condition of the firstmobile device and a second operative condition of the second mobiledevice; and in response to a determination based, at least in part, onthe first operative condition and the second operative condition, thatonly one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device isclassified as being available for wireless signal based positioning:obtaining one or more positioning measurement values based, at least inpart, on one or more wireless signals received by the one of the firstmobile device and the second mobile device; and determining a positionfix for the object based, at least in part, on the one or morepositioning measurement values. In one example alternative, identifyingthe first operative condition and the second operative condition isbased, at least in part, on an observed signaling conditioncorresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the secondmobile device. In another example alternative, identifying the firstoperative condition and the second operative condition is based, atleast in part, on a sensed motion corresponding to at least one of thefirst mobile device or the second mobile device. In another examplealternative, identifying the first operative condition and the secondoperative condition is based, at least in part, on a sensed proximitycorresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the secondmobile device. In another example alternative, identifying the firstoperative condition and the second operative condition is based, atleast in part, on a sensed light condition, a sensed sound condition, ora combination thereof, corresponding to at least one of the first mobiledevice or the second mobile device. In another example alternative,identifying the first operative condition and the second operativecondition is based, at least in part, on a current operating modecorresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the secondmobile device. In another example alternative, identifying the firstoperative condition and the second operative condition is based, atleast in part, on one or more user inputs corresponding to at least oneof the first mobile device or the second mobile device. In anotherexample alternative, at least one of the one or more positioningmeasurement values is based, at least in part, on at least one wirelesssignals previously received by the one of the first mobile device andthe second mobile device. In another example alternative, obtaining theone or more positioning measurement values further comprises initiatinga search by the one of the first mobile device and the second mobiledevice for at least one of the one or more wireless signals. In anotherexample alternative, identifying the presence of a second mobile devicefurther comprises: exchanging one or more signals over a wirelesscommunication link, receiving one or more user inputs, receiving asignal from another device indicating the presence, or some combinationthereof. In another example alternative, the method at the first mobiledevice may further comprise, in response to a determination based, atleast in part, on the first operative condition, the second operativecondition, or a combination thereof, that the second mobile device isclassified as being unavailable for wireless signal based positioning,transmitting a signal to the second mobile device indicating approvalfor the second mobile device to change from a higher usage power stateto a lower usage power state. In another example alternative, the methodat the first mobile device may further comprise in response to adetermination based, at least in part, on the first operative condition,the second operative condition, or a combination thereof, that the firstmobile device is classified as being unavailable for wireless signalbased positioning, transmitting a signal to the second mobile deviceindicating approval for the second mobile device to change from a lowerusage power state to a higher usage power state. In another examplealternative, the method at the first mobile device may further comprisesubsequent to a determination based, at least in part, on the firstoperative condition, the second operative condition, or a combinationthereof, that the second mobile device is classified as beingunavailable for wireless signal based positioning, transmitting one orsignals to the second mobile device indicative of updated wirelesssignal based positioning data. In another example alternative, themethod at the first mobile device may further comprise, subsequent to adetermination based, at least in part, on the first operative condition,the second operative condition, or a combination thereof, that the firstmobile device is classified as being unavailable for wireless signalbased positioning, receiving one or signals from the second mobiledevice indicative of updated wireless signal based positioning data. Inanother example alternative, the method at the first mobile device mayfurther comprise in response to a determination based, at least in part,on the first operative condition and the second operative condition,that both of the first mobile device and the second mobile device areclassified as being available for wireless signal based positioning:obtaining one or more first positioning measurement values based, atleast in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the firstmobile device, and one or more second positioning measurement valuesbased, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by thesecond mobile device; and determining the position fix for the objectbased, at least in part, on at least one positioning measurement valueselected from the one or more first positioning measurement values orthe one or more second positioning measurement values. In anotherexample alternative, the object comprises a person, and at least one ofthe first mobile device or the second mobile device comprises a wearablecomputing device.

Another particular implementation is directed to an apparatus for use ina first mobile device, the apparatus comprising: means for identifying apresence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and thesecond mobile device being co-located with an object; means foridentifying a first operative condition of the first mobile device;means for identifying a second operative condition of the second mobiledevice; and means for obtaining one or more positioning measurementvalues based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals receivedby one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device, inresponse to a determination based, at least in part, on the firstoperative condition and the second operative condition, that only theone of the first mobile device and the second mobile device isclassified as being available for wireless signal based positioning; andmeans for determining a position fix for the object based, at least inpart, on the one or more positioning measurement values.

Another particular implementation is directed to a first mobile devicecomprising: a communication interface; and a processing unit to:identify a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile deviceand the second mobile device being co-located with an object; identify afirst operative condition of the first mobile device; identify a secondoperative condition of the second mobile device; and obtain one or morepositioning measurement values via the communication interface, the oneor more positioning measurement values being based, at least in part, onone or more wireless signals received by one of the first mobile deviceand the second mobile device, in response to a determination based, atleast in part, on the first operative condition and the second operativecondition, that only the one of the first mobile device and the secondmobile device is classified as being available for wireless signal basedpositioning; and determine a position fix for the object based, at leastin part, on the one or more positioning measurement values.

Another particular implementation is directed to a non-transitorycomputer readable medium having stored therein computer implementableinstructions executable by a processing unit of a first mobile deviceto: identify a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobiledevice and the second mobile device being co-located with an object;identify a first operative condition of the first mobile device;identify a second operative condition of the second mobile device; andin response to a determination based, at least in part, on the firstoperative condition and the second operative condition, that only one ofthe first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified asbeing available for wireless signal based positioning: obtain one ormore positioning measurement values based, at least in part, on one ormore wireless signals received by the one of the first mobile device andthe second mobile device; and determine a position fix for the objectbased, at least in part, on the one or more positioning measurementvalues. It should be understood that the aforementioned implementationsare merely example implementations, and that claimed subject matter isnot necessarily limited to any particular aspect of these exampleimplementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive aspects are described with reference tothe following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeparts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example arrangementof representative electronic devices including an example first mobiledevice that may determine a position fix of an object co-located withthe first mobile device and at least one other mobile device, inaccordance with certain example implementations.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative diagram depicting an example arrangement ofrepresentative electronic devices including several example mobiledevices that may be co-located with regard to an object comprising aperson, in accordance with certain example implementations.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus that maybe implemented in a first mobile device, e.g., as in FIG. 1, todetermine a position fix of an object co-located with the first mobiledevice and at least one other mobile device, in accordance with certainexample implementations.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating certain features of anexample computing platform that may be provisioned in whole or partwithin a mobile device, e.g., as in FIG. 1, in accordance with certainexample implementations.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are flow diagrams illustrating some exampleprocesses that may be implemented in a first mobile device, e.g., as inFIG. 1, to determine a position fix of an object co-located with thefirst mobile device and at least one other mobile device, in accordancewith certain example implementations.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process to select observations from amongmultiple devices for performing operations according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various example techniques are provided herein which may be implementedat a mobile device to determine a position fix of an object co-locatedwith the first mobile device and at least one other mobile device.

As may be appreciated, in certain instances a person holding or carryinga first mobile device such as a smartphone may also wear or carry asecond mobile device such as a wearable computing device and/or thelike, which may be attachable so as to be co-located with a particularpoint of the person. For example, a person may wear a smart watch onhis/her wrist, in addition to carrying a smartphone in his/her pocket orpurse, etc. In a particular implementation, a wireless communicationlink (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC) link, and/or thelike) may be established between the first mobile device (e.g., ahand-held communication/computing device) and one or more other mobiledevices, such as, e.g., a second mobile device possibly in the form of awearable computing device. Such communication capabilities may, incertain instances, be used to exchange (e.g., transmitted and/orreceived) various signals (e.g., representing data, measurements,instructions, messages, etc.). In certain instances, one or moreexchanged signals may be used to discover, verify and/or otherwiseidentify in some manner a presence, a capability, and/or other likeinformation regarding one or more mobile devices that may be co-locatedwith an object. In another example, certain exchanged signals maysupport techniques for coordinating the gathering, processing, storage,and/or the like of some combination thereof, of information that may beuseful for positioning and navigation capabilities, e.g., relating tothe object. Here, for example, it may be useful at times for wirelesssignal based positioning related measurements and/or other like dataand/or instructions to be shared between mobile devices, e.g., topossibly support various coordinated, collaborative, and/or other likeprocessing schemes relating to the object in some manner.

While various example types of mobile devices are illustrated herein byway of example, it should be kept in mind that the various exampletechniques provided herein may be applied to a wide variety of mobiledevices that may be co-located with an object. Moreover, claimed subjectmatter is not intended to necessarily be limited by any of theseexamples.

In accordance with certain example implementations, a first mobiledevice may identify a presence of one or more other mobile devices(e.g., a second mobile device, etc.). Several examples are provided ingreater detail herein illustrating various techniques by which a mobiledevice may identify a presence of one or more other devices. A firstmobile device may, for example, identify a presence of another mobiledevice (e.g., a second mobile device) based, at least in part, on one ormore signals (e.g., possibly an exchange of one or more signals over awireless communication link with the second mobile device as previouslymentioned), receiving one or more user inputs, receiving one or moresignals from one or more other devices (e.g., a server, etc.) indicatingsuch a presence, and/or other like techniques or some combinationthereof.

With this in mind, a first mobile device may, for example, identify apresence of another mobile device (e.g., a second mobile device) based,at least in part, on a decision that the first mobile device and thesecond mobile device are co-located with an object. By way of an initialexample, in certain instances an object may comprise a person, a firstmobile device may comprise a smartphone or the like, and a second mobiledevice may comprise a smart watch or the like, etc., each of which mayeach be carried in some manner by a person. For example, a smartphone orthe like may be held in a person's hand at times, while placed in aholder, a pocket, a purse, a satchel, a backpack, etc., at other times.For example, a smart watch or the like may, at times, be fixed around aperson's wrist, arm, ankle, etc., or possibly worn on their head (e.g.,possibly in some form of a headband, a hat, glasses, headphones, etc.)or perhaps provided as part of some particular clothing, jewelry, etc.,that may be worn at times by a person. Of course, at times such a smartwatch or the like may be placed in a holder, a pocket, a purse, asatchel, a backpack, etc. In other example implementations, an objectmay comprise an animal or a machine, which may “carry” two or moremobile devices co-located with the object.

In certain example implementations, a first mobile device may furtheridentify an operative condition of one or more of the mobile devicesco-located with an object. For example, a first operative condition maybe identified for the first mobile device, and a second operativecondition may be identified for a second mobile device. An operativecondition of a mobile device may, for example, be indicative, at leastin part, as to whether the mobile device may be classified as being“available” (or conversely/alternatively being classified as being“unavailable”) for wireless signal based positioning. For brevity, theterms “potentially available” and “potentially unavailable” are usedherein as representing two example classifications regarding a mobiledevice.

By way of an example, in certain instances, an operative condition of amobile device may be based, at least in part, on a signaling conditionobserved by the mobile device. Here, for example, an observed change ina signal strength, phase, time of travel, and/or other measurement(s)for one or more wireless signals may indicate that a mobile device maybe more or less likely to be “available” for wireless signal basedpositioning. Thus, for example, if a signal strength measurementdecreases, as might occur due to signal attenuation/interference (e.g.,when a mobile device is moved from a person's hand to inside a backpack,etc.), such a mobile device may in certain instances be considered lesslikely available and perhaps even unavailable for wireless signal basedpositioning. In a reversed example, if a signal strength measurementincreases, as might occur due to reduced signal attenuation/interference(e.g., when a mobile device is moved from inside a person's backpack,etc., to their hand), such a mobile device may in certain instances beconsidered more likely available for wireless signal based positioning.

By way of an example, in certain instances, an operative condition of amobile device may be based, at least in part, on a motion (e.g.,inertial) sensed by the mobile device. Here, for example, one or moresensed motions may indicate that a mobile device may be more or lesslikely to be “available” for wireless signal based positioning. Forexample, if a sensed motion (e.g., based on one or more electricalsignals from an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, etc.) of asmartphone or the like indicates that the smartphone is moving inaccordance with some model of object movement, then an inference may bemade that the smartphone may be located at or near a particular point ofthe object (here, e.g., a person). For example, a pedestrian model maycorrespond to a person walking. Thus, if the person is carrying asmartphone in a pocket of their clothing, within a backpack, etc., asthey walk, smartphone may sense motion that corresponds to such a motionmodel. In certain instances, a mobile device that is being carriedwithin a pocket, backpack, etc., may be considered less likely availableand perhaps even unavailable for wireless signal based positioning(e.g., due to a relatively higher level of signalattenuation/interference, etc.). Conversely, in some instances, motionsensed by a mobile device that is being carried in the open (e.g., in aperson's hand, attached to a wrist or arm, etc.) may be considered morelikely available for wireless signal based positioning (e.g., due torelatively lower signal attenuation/interference, etc.).

By way of an example, in certain instances, an operative condition of amobile device may be based, at least in part, on a sensed proximity ofthe mobile device to some surface/matter, e.g., as may be indicated byone or more proximity sensors of the mobile device. The presence orabsence of a sensed proximity may, for example, indicate, at least inpart, that a mobile device may be more or less likely to be “available”for wireless signal based positioning. For example, if a sensedproximity of a smartphone or the like indicates that the smartphone maybe adjacent to or nearby some form of surface/matter (e.g., as may bethe situation when the smartphone is carried in a pocket, a backpack,etc., the smartphone may be considered less likely available and perhapseven unavailable for wireless signal based positioning (e.g., again dueto a relatively higher level of signal attenuation/interference, etc.).Conversely, in some instances, if there is an absence of a sensedproximity (e.g., at least part of the smartphone may be open to theenvironment, perhaps being carried in a person's hand), then thesmartphone may be considered more likely available for wireless signalbased positioning.

In another example, in certain instances, an operative condition of amobile device may be based, at least in part, on a light conditionsensed by one or more sensors, cameras, and/or the like of the mobiledevice. The presence, absence, or some other corresponding measurementof a sensed light condition may, for example, indicate, at least inpart, that a mobile device may be more or less likely to be “available”for wireless signal based positioning. For example, certain sensed lightconditions may indicate that the smartphone may be in a pocket, abackpack, etc., and thus the smartphone may be considered less likelyavailable and perhaps even unavailable for wireless signal basedpositioning (e.g., again due to a relatively higher level of signalattenuation/interference, etc.). Conversely, in some instances, certainother sensed light conditions may indicate that at least part of thesmartphone may be open to the environment (e.g., perhaps being carriedin a person's hand), and thus the smartphone may be considered morelikely available for wireless signal based positioning.

In some instances, an operative condition of a mobile device may, forexample, be based, at least in part, on a sound condition sensed by oneor more sensors, microphones, and/or the like of the mobile device. Thepresence, absence, or some other corresponding measurement of a sensedsound condition may, for example, indicate, at least in part, that amobile device may be more or less likely to be “available” for wirelesssignal based positioning. For example, certain sensed sound conditionsmay indicate that the smartphone may be in a pocket, a backpack, etc.,and thus the smartphone may be considered less likely available andperhaps even unavailable for wireless signal based positioning (e.g.,again due to a relatively higher level of signalattenuation/interference, etc.). Conversely, in some instances, certainother sensed sound conditions may indicate that at least part of thesmartphone may be open to the environment (e.g., perhaps being carriedin a person's hand), and thus the smartphone may be considered morelikely available for wireless signal based positioning.

In still other example implementations, an operative condition of amobile device may be based, at least in part, on one or more operatingmodes and/or the like of the mobile device. For example, a currentoperating mode of the mobile device corresponding to certainfunctions/capabilities may indicate, at least in part, that a mobiledevice may be more or less likely to be “available” for wireless signalbased positioning. Thus, for example, if a current operating mode likelymakes use of a user input device and/or user output device (e.g., adisplay, a touchscreen, a speaker, a microphone, a camera, a projector,etc., and/or some other input/output device (e.g., a wired interface, awireless interface, etc.) of a smartphone or the like, then suchoperating mode(s) may indicate that the smartphone may not be in apocket, a backpack, etc., but rather in a person's hand or in some othermanner in a position for use rather than storage; and, hence, such asmartphone may be considered more likely available for wireless signalbased positioning. Conversely, in some instances, certain otheroperating modes may indicate that such a smartphone may not be open tothe environment or in some position for use, but rather in storage(e.g., perhaps being carried in a purse, etc.), and thus the smartphonemay be considered less likely available for wireless signal basedpositioning (e.g., due to a relatively higher level of signalattenuation/interference, etc.).

In some instances, an operative condition of a mobile device may bebased, at least in part, on one or more user inputs received by themobile device. For example, the presence or absence of user input(s) mayindicate, at least in part, that a mobile device may be more or lesslikely to be “available” for wireless signal based positioning. Forexample, receiving user input(s) (e.g., via a keypad, a button, aswitch, a touchscreen, a microphone, a camera, etc.), and/or via someother input/output device (e.g., a Bluetooth or other like wirelessinterface, etc.) of a smartphone or the like, may indicate that thesmartphone may not be in a pocket, a backpack, etc., but rather in aperson's hand or in some other manner in a position for use rather thanstorage; and, hence, such a smartphone may be considered more likelyavailable for wireless signal based positioning. Alternatively, in someinstances, a lack of user input(s) may indicate that such a smartphonemay not be open to the environment or in some position for use, butrather in storage (e.g., perhaps being carried in a holder, etc.), andthus the smartphone may be considered less likely available for wirelesssignal based positioning (e.g., due to a relatively higher level ofsignal attenuation/interference, etc.).

The examples provided herein, and particularly above, are intended torepresent just a few examples of operative conditions that may beidentified. Furthermore, it should be understood that different mobiledevices may have different operative conditions. Also, it should beunderstood that, in certain instances, an operative condition may beindependently identified by a corresponding mobile device and possiblyshared with other devices. For example, a second mobile device mayidentify one or more operative conditions and transmit such informationto a first mobile device, and/or possibly some other device (e.g., aserver, etc.). In certain other example implementations, an operativecondition for a particular mobile device may be identified by anotherdevice, e.g., based, at least in part, on applicable informationregarding and/or from the particular mobile device. For example, a firstmobile device may (independently or with support) identify one or moreoperative conditions for a second mobile device (e.g., based onapplicable information regarding and/or from the second mobile device).In another example, a server or other like computing device may(independently or with support) identify one or more operativeconditions for a second mobile device (e.g., based on applicableinformation regarding and/or from the second mobile device), andtransmit one or more signals indicative of such operative condition(s)to a first mobile device.

With this in mind, in certain example implementations, a first mobiledevice may determine whether a particular mobile device may potentiallybe available for wireless signal based positioning, e.g., based, atleast in part, on one or more identified operative conditions.

By way of an example, assuming that there are two mobile devices (firstand second) identified as being present and co-located with an object, afirst mobile device may, at times, determine that only one of the firstmobile device and a second mobile device may be potentially availablefor wireless signal based positioning. In such circumstances, forexample, a first mobile device may obtain one or more positioningmeasurement values based, at least in part, on one or more wirelesssignals received by the (potentially available) mobile device, andattempt to determine a position fix for the object based, at least inpart, on such positioning measurement values.

In another example, again assuming that there are two mobile devices(first and second) identified as being present and co-located with anobject, a first mobile device may, at times, determine that both thefirst mobile device and the second mobile device may be potentiallyavailable for wireless signal based positioning. In such circumstances,for example, a first mobile device may obtain one or more firstpositioning measurement values based, at least in part, on one or morewireless signals received by the first mobile device, and one or moresecond positioning measurement values based, at least in part, on one ormore wireless signals received by the second mobile device, and mayattempt to determine a position fix for the object based, at least inpart, on at least one positioning measurement value selected from thefirst positioning measurement values and/or the second positioningmeasurement values.

Likewise, it should be understood that such techniques may extend to athree or more mobile devices. For example, assuming that there are atleast three mobile devices (first, second, third) identified as beingpresent and co-located with an object, a first mobile device may, attimes, determine that only a subset of the three mobile devices may bepotentially available for wireless signal based positioning. In suchcircumstances, for example, a first mobile device may obtain one or morepositioning measurement values based, at least in part, on one or morewireless signals received by the (potentially available) mobiledevice(s) in the subset, and attempt to determine a position fix for theobject based, at least in part, on such positioning measurement values.

In certain instances, one or more positioning measurement values for amobile device may be based, at least in part, on at least one wirelesssignal received by the mobile device subsequent to a determination thatthe mobile device may be potentially available for wireless signal basedpositioning. In some instances, one or more positioning measurementvalues for a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on at leastone wireless signal received by the mobile device prior to adetermination that the mobile device may be potentially available forwireless signal based positioning.

In certain example implementations, a first mobile device may attempt toobtain one or more positioning measurement values by initiating a searchfor one or more wireless signals by one of the potentially availablemobile devices. Thus, for example, a first mobile may transmit a signalto such a potentially available mobile device indicating that such asearch is desired. For example, it may be useful for a mobile devicethat may be exposed to the environment to search for (e.g., attempt toacquire) one or more SPS signals and/or the like.

In certain example implementations, if it is determined that aparticular mobile device (e.g., a second mobile device) may bepotentially unavailable for wireless signal based positioning, a firstmobile device may transmit one or more signals (e.g., one or moremessages) to the second mobile device indicating approval for the secondmobile device to consider changing (e.g., transitioning) from a higherusage power state to a lower usage power state, e.g., to conserve power.

In certain instances, if it is determined that the first mobile devicemay be potentially unavailable for wireless signal based positioning,the first mobile device may, for example, transmit one or more signalsto the second mobile device indicating approval for the second mobiledevice to consider changing (transitioning) from a lower usage powerstate to a higher usage power state, e.g., to provide/support wirelesssignal based positioning at the second mobile device.

In certain instances, subsequent to a determination that a second mobiledevice may be potentially unavailable for wireless signal basedpositioning, a first mobile device may, for example, transmit one ormore signals to the second mobile device indicative of updated wirelesssignal based positioning data, e.g., to seed the second mobile devicewith useful information for later use, improve and/or speed up timeneeded for the second mobile device to determine a position fix in thefuture, etc.

In certain instances, subsequent to a determination that the firstmobile device may be potentially unavailable for wireless signal basedpositioning, the first mobile device may, for example, receive one ormore signals from a second mobile device indicative of updated wirelesssignal based positioning data, e.g., to seed the first mobile devicewith useful information for later use, improve and/or speed up timeneeded for the first mobile device to determine a position fix in thefuture, etc.

Attention is drawn next to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagramillustrating an environment 100 within which an object 102 may enter,leave, and/or otherwise move or be moved about, in accordance with anexample implementation. As illustrated, a first mobile device 104-1 maybe provided and identified as being initially co-located with a firstpoint 106-1 of object 102. Similarly, as shown, a second mobile device104-2 may be provided and identified as being initially co-located witha second point 106-2 of object 102. Second mobile device 104-2 maytransmit one or more wireless signals to first mobile device 104-1, asrepresented by wireless communication link 105. In certain instances,wireless communication link may represent a unidirectional communicationcapability, or a bidirectional communication capability.

Although many of the examples presented herein are based on techniquesapplied using first mobile device 104-1 and second mobile device 104-2,it is not intended that the techniques or claimed subject matternecessarily be limited to just two mobile devices. Accordingly, asillustrated in FIG. 1, techniques and claimed subject matter may applyto a plurality mobile devices (e.g., further represented by Nth mobiledevice 104-n), which may be individually identified as being initiallyco-located with particular points (represented by Nth point 106-n) ofobject 102. Although not shown, it should be understood that Nth mobiledevice 104-n may be capable of unidirectional or bidirectional wirelesscommunication with one or more other mobile devices, such as, forexample, mobile device 104-1.

As further illustrated and represented by portion 108 of object 102, incertain instances object 102 comprise one or more parts or portions maymove or be moved in some manner as to change object 102. Thus, in thisexample, it is assumed that portion 108 may move or be moved withrespect to the remaining portion of object 102. For example, portion 108may represent a leg of a person or an animal, or possible an arm orother like movable feature of a robot or machine.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, in certain example implementations,one or more other devices 110 may be provided, which may transmit one ormore wireless signals 111. By way of example, one or more other devices110 may represent one or more computing devices (e.g., server(s), etc.),one or more communication networks (wired or wireless), the Internet,etc.

In another example, one or more other devices 110 may represent one ormore transmitting devices that may transmit wireless signals 111 for usein wireless signal based positioning. Thus, for example, in certaininstances, one or more other devices 110 may represent one or moresatellite positioning systems (SPSs) that may transmit SPS signals fromone or more space vehicles (SVs). In some embodiments, an SPS may, forexample, comprise a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such asthe GPS or Galileo satellite systems. In other embodiments, one or moreSVs may be from multiple GNSS such as, but not limited to, GPS, Galileo,Glonass, or Beidou (Compass) satellite systems. In other embodiments,one or more SVs may be from any one several regional navigationsatellite systems (RNSS′) such as, for example, Wide Area AugmentationSystem (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service(EGNOS), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), just to name a fewexamples. In yet another example, one or more other devices 110 mayrepresent one or more terrestrial-based wireless transmitting devices,such as, e.g., a dedicated positioning Beacon transmitting device, anaccess point (AP) device which may be part of a wireless local areanetwork, a base transceiver station which may be part of the cellulartelephone system, and/or the like or some combination thereof.

Attention is drawn next to FIG. 2, which is illustrative diagram showinga person 200 (e.g., one example type of an object) in relation to someexample mobile devices. In this example, it is assumed that the personis ambulatory and engaged in a pedestrian movement (e.g., walking,running, standing, and/or the like or some combination thereof) fromtime to time. As shown, in certain instances and/or at certain times(e.g., time t1), person 200 may carry a first mobile device (identifiedas 104-1 t 1) in a holder 202 (e.g., possibly a mechanism that may beconnected to a belt, possibly a pocket in an item of clothing near thewaistline, etc.). Here, for example, the first mobile device may beidentified as being co-located with the person's right hip, or the like.In another example, in certain instances and/or at certain times (e.g.,time t2), person 200 may carry a first mobile device (identified as104-1 t 2) in a jacket pocket 204. Here, for example, the first mobiledevice may be identified as being co-located with the person's torso. Ina third example, in certain instances and/or at certain times (e.g.,time t3), person 200 may grasp a first mobile device (identified as104-1 t 3) in their left hand and hold it out in front of his/her body(identified in the region of 208) to interact with first mobile devicein some manner. Here, for example, the first mobile device may have beeninitially identified as being co-located with the person's hip (e.g., asat time t1) or torso (e.g., as at time t2), however, as of time t3 theperson has moved first mobile device. As may be appreciated, firstmeasurements obtained from a first sensor (e.g., an accelerometer, agyroscope, etc.) on the first mobile device corresponding to movementscorresponding to the new position at time t3 may be substantiallydifferent from similar measurements obtained while first mobile deviceis more closely carried/held nearer the person's hip (time t1) and/orperson's torso (time t2). In certain instances, such changes mayeventually lead to all or some of the applicable first measurements tobe determined to not be accepted for use.

As further illustrated in the simple drawing of FIG. 2, it should beunderstood that a potential availability of the first mobile device forwireless signal based positioning at times t1 or t2 may be reduced,e.g., due to stowage in a pocket or holder that may under certaincircumstances degrade signal reception in some manner. However, apotential availability of the first mobile device for wireless signalbased positioning at time t3 (e.g., held in a hand) may be increased,e.g., due to exposure to the environment that may under certaincircumstances improve signal reception.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example second mobile device 104-2 in the form ofa wearable computing device (here, e.g., a wristband, a wrist watch,etc.) which may be identified as being initially co-located near thewrist of the person's right arm as represented by point 206. As may beexpected, the location of second mobile device 104-2 in this example maylead, at times, to the second mobile device being exposed to theenvironment, which may under certain circumstances improve signalreception and hence increase a potential availability of the secondmobile device for wireless signal based positioning.

FIG. 2 also illustrates an example Nth mobile device 104-n in the formof a wearable computing device (here, e.g., a headband, a hat, anearpiece, headphones, glasses, etc.) which may be identified as beinginitially co-located near a point on the person's head or face asrepresented by point 210. Note that the Nth mobile device may comprise a“second mobile device”, e.g., as recited in claimed subject matter. Asmay be expected, the location of Nth mobile device 104-n in this examplemay lead, at times, to the Nth mobile device being exposed to theenvironment, which may under certain circumstances improve signalreception and hence increase a potential availability of the Nth mobiledevice for wireless signal based positioning.

Attention is drawn next to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagramillustrating an example apparatus 300 that may be implemented in wholeor part in first mobile device 104-1 (FIG. 1), in accordance withcertain example implementations.

As shown, a block 308, a presence of one or more other mobile devicesmay be identified. For example, a presence of a second mobile device maybe identified based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signal(s)302 exchanged between the first mobile device and the second mobiledevice. In another example, a presence of a second mobile device may beidentified based, at least in part, on one or more user input(s) 304received by the first mobile device. Here, for example, a user input ata first mobile device may indicate an intended presence and/or approveof a possible presence of one or more mobile devices in co-location withthe first mobile device with respect to an object. In yet anotherexample, a presence of a second mobile device may be identified based,at least in part, on one or more external messages (signals) received bythe first mobile device from one or more other devices (e.g., a server,etc.). For example, one or more such messages received by a first mobiledevice may indicate an intended presence and/or approve of a possiblepresence of one or more mobile devices in co-location with the firstmobile device with respect to an object. As with all of the examplespresented herein, the above examples claimed subject matter is notnecessarily intended to be so limited.

At block 310, one or more operative conditions may be identified for oneor more of the mobile devices, e.g., as identified at block 308. Aspreviously described, in certain instances, an operative condition of aparticular mobile device may be identified, at least in part, based onvarious types of information regarding the particular mobile device.

By way of example, some possible types of information are represented byillustration in FIG. 3 as possible inputs to block 308. For example, incertain instances one or more observed signaling conditions 312corresponding to a particular mobile device be obtained by exampleapparatus 300 (directly or indirectly) and considered, at least in part,to identify an operative condition at block 308. In certain instances,for example, one or more sensed motions 314 corresponding to aparticular mobile device be obtained by example apparatus 300 (directlyor indirectly) and considered, at least in part, to identify anoperative condition at block 308. In certain instances, for example, oneor more sensed proximity indications 316 corresponding to a particularmobile device be obtained by example apparatus 300 (directly orindirectly) and considered, at least in part, to identify an operativecondition at block 308. In certain instances, for example, one or morelight conditions 318 and/or one or more sound conditions 320corresponding to a particular mobile device be obtained by exampleapparatus 300 (directly or indirectly) and considered, at least in part,to identify an operative condition at block 308. In certain instances,for example, one or more operative mode indications 322 corresponding toa particular mobile device (e.g., and/or some part thereof) be obtainedby example apparatus 300 (directly or indirectly) and considered, atleast in part, to identify an operative condition at block 308. Incertain instances, for example, one or more user inputs 324corresponding to a particular mobile device be obtained by exampleapparatus 300 (directly or indirectly) and considered, at least in part,to identify an operative condition at block 308.

In certain example implementations, example apparatus 300 may obtainvarious types of information for consideration at block 308 in differentways. For example, block 310 may obtain information that may beindicative, at least in part, of one or more operative conditions of aparticular mobile device by accessing such information, receiving suchinformation, requesting such information, and/or by applying other liketechniques or some combination thereof. For example, in certainimplementations, apparatus 300 may obtain information for considerationat block 308 from a local memory subsystem of a mobile device comprisingapparatus 300. In another example, apparatus 300 may obtain informationfor consideration at block 308 from one or more other devices through acommunication interface, e.g., by exchanging signals. Here, for example,in certain instances a first mobile device 104-1 (see FIG. 1) comprisingapparatus 300 may obtain such information applicable to a second mobile104-2 device directly from the second mobile device 104-2, and/orpossibly indirectly via an Nth mobile device 104-n, and/or one or moreother devices 110.

As illustrated by the dual directional arrow in FIG. 3, example blocks308 and 310 may, in certain implementations, be operatively coupled (orpossibly combined) in some manner conducive to their respectiveprocesses. For example, in certain instances, block 308 may identify oneor more mobile devices (e.g., co-located) to be considered at block 310.For example, block 310 may provide information regarding an operativecondition of a particular mobile device that may be considered in somemanner at block 308 in identifying a presence of such particular mobiledevice. Here, for example, block 310 may obtain and share certaininformation regarding the particular mobile device, and/or possiblyindicate one or more operative conditions identified for the particularmobile device, which may be considered, at least in part, at block 308.Thus, in a specific example, block 310 may inform block 308 that aparticular mobile device may be operating in a particular mode andplaced in a particular state, etc., which may in some manner correspondto the particular mobile device as being considered to present orabsent. Indeed, in certain implementations, block 308 may obtain all orpart of the example information that may be considered by block 310.

At block 326, a determination may be made as to whether a co-locatedmobile device (e.g., a mobile device comprising apparatus 300, one ormore other mobile devices identified at block 308) may be potentiallyavailable for wireless signal based positioning or converselypotentially unavailable for wireless signal based positioning. Block 326may consider, at least in part, one or more of the operative conditions(e.g., from block 310) to determine whether a particular mobile devicemay be deemed potentially available or potentially unavailable forwireless signal based positioning.

It should be noted that, as used herein, a mobile device that isdetermined (e.g., at block 326) to be “potentially available” or“potentially unavailable”, may or may not actually be available orotherwise capable of providing/supporting wireless signal basedpositioning in some manner. In other words, in this example, thedetermination at block 326 may or may not correspond to an actualavailability; as such, to account for such a possibility, the terms“potentially available” and “potentially unavailable” are used herein.

While examples presented herein illustrate that a determination that agiven mobile device may be determined to be classified as either“potentially available” or “potentially unavailable”, it should beunderstood that there may be a plurality of identifiable classifiers.For example, additional (possibly a subset) or different (possibly new)classifications may result from certain determinations at block 326. Byway of some examples, a determination at block 326 may indicate that amobile device may be known or proven (e.g., as currently, temporarily,etc.) to be “available” or “unavailable”, or perhaps “busy”,“hibernating”, “configuring”, “low on power”, “charging”, “notresponding”, and/or the like or some combination thereof.

Consequently, the terms “potentially available” or “potentiallyunavailable”, are intended to simply indicate two resultingclassifications based on a decision process (e.g., at block 326) capableof having two or more resulting classifications. Thus, in certaininstances, it may be beneficial to consider such decision process toresult in a “first classification” (e.g., “potentially available”, etc.)and a “second classification” (e.g., “potentially unavailable”, etc.),and, in certain instances, possibly a “third classification”, a “fourthclassification”, . . . “Kth classification”.

As previously mentioned, an operative condition may be based on avariety of factors (e.g., see example information that may be consideredat block 310) may be indicative in some manner as whether a mobiledevice may be more or less likely to be useful in providing/supportingcertain wireless signal based positioning.

Those skilled in the art should recognize that a variety of decisionaltechniques may be applied at example blocks 310, 312, and/or 326. Forexample, in certain instances, one or more of the decisions at blocks310, 312, and/or 326 may be based, at least in part, on a comparison ofrecently obtained applicable information/data with correspondingpreviously obtained (or possibly expected/predicted) information/data.For example, in certain instances, one or more of the decisions atblocks 310, 312, and/or 326 may be based, at least in part, on acomparison of obtained applicable information/data with correspondingthreshold value(s). For example, in certain instances, one or moremetric values/scores and/or the like pertaining to obtained applicableinformation/data based, at least in part, on some evaluation criteriamay be calculated via one or more of the decisions at blocks 310, 312,and/or 326. Of course these represent just a few example decisiontechniques that may be selectively applied at blocks 310, 312, and/or326, and claimed subject matter is not necessarily intended to be solimited.

At example block 328, one or more positioning measurement values may beobtained, e.g., from one or more of the mobile devices determined to bepotentially available for wireless signal based positioning at block326. In certain instances, one or more positioning measurement valuesmay be obtained from memory locally provided for apparatus 300 and/or afirst mobile device. In certain instances, one or more positioningmeasurement values from a reporting mobile device (e.g., a second mobiledevice) may be obtained (directly or indirectly) via applicable wirelesssignal communications.

In certain example implementations, a positioning measurement value maybe indicative, at least in part, of any information in the form of datathat may be used, at least in part, e.g., at block 332, to determine aposition fix for the object. Thus, for example, in certain instances apositioning measurement value (e.g., corresponding to a reporting mobiledevice, the object, a transmitting device) may be indicative, at leastin part, of one or more distances/ranges (e.g., a time of travel, asignal strength, a pseudorange, etc.) and/or the like, one or morelocation coordinates e.g., latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) and/orthe like, one or more identifiable spaces (e.g., a grid/node point, aroom identifier, a location context identifier (LCI), a cellular ID,etc.), one or more movements (e.g., a heading, a speed, a trajectory,etc.), just to name a few examples.

In certain instances, one or more positioning measurement values may befurther based, at least in part, on detected motions and/or the likefrom one or more inertial sensors (e.g., an accelerometer, a gyroscope,a pedometer, etc.), one or more environmental sensors (e.g., amagnetometer, a compass, a barometer, a light sensor, an sound/audiosensor, a proximity sensor, a thermometer, a strain gauge, etc.), onboard a reporting mobile device.

At example block 330, in certain example implementations, apparatus 300may take some action to initiate a search for one or more wirelesssignals by one or more wireless devices. For example, apparatus 300 mayinstruct a first mobile device comprising apparatus 300 and/or one ormore other mobile devices (e.g., determined to be potentially availableat block 326) to attempt to acquire one or more particular wirelesssignals from one or more transmitting devices to obtain (e.g., orpossibly update, refine, etc.) one or more positioning measurementvalues.

At example block 332, all or part of a position fix (e.g., that maycorrespond to the object) may be determined, e.g., based, at least inpart, on one or more of the positioning measurement values obtained atblock 328. By way of some non-limiting examples, a position fix may beindicative, at least in part, of a relative and/or otherwiseidentifiable location of the object, e.g., determined with regard to acoordinate system, an electronic map, another object, a point in space,a structure, and/or the like or some combination thereof. In certaininstances, a position fix determined at block 332 may be based, at leastin part, on one or more positioning measurement values corresponding toone of the mobile device(s) identified as being co-located with theobject, e.g., the object's determined position fix may match a positionfix of such mobile device, or possibly offset in some manner therefrom.In certain instances, a position fix determined at block 332 may bebased, at least in part, on positioning measurement values correspondingto a plurality of mobile devices identified as being co-located with theobject. Here, for example, the object's determined position fix may bebased, at least in part, on a combination of position fixes for two ormore such mobile devices. Thus, in certain instances position fixesand/or obtained positioning measurement values for two or more mobiledevices may be averaged or otherwise mathematically/statisticallycombined in some manner, e.g., possibly taking into account: a type, ashape, a modeled/expected behavior, etc., of the object; an age, anaccuracy, etc., of one or more of the various position fixes and/orobtained positioning measurement values; a history of one or more of thevarious position fixes and/or obtained positioning measurement values,etc.; and/or the like or some combination thereof.

In certain instances, a position fix may be indicative, at least inpart, of a motion or movement of the object, e.g., determined withregard to a coordinate system, an electronic map, another object, apoint in space, a structure, and/or the like or some combinationthereof.

It should be noted that dashed line boxes that appear in the drawings(e.g., example referenced items 106-n (FIG. 1), 104-n (FIG. 2), 330(FIG. 3), 418 (FIG. 4), and 510 (FIG. 5B) are intended to illustrateadditional/alternative devices, information/data,instructions/processes, and/or the like that may be provided/applied incertain example implementations. However, it should also be understoodthat example referenced items illustrated in solid line boxes in thedrawing may be considered as additional/alternative devices,information/data, instructions/processes, and/or the like that may beprovided/applied in certain example implementations. Thus, claimedsubject matter is not intended to necessarily be so limited.

At example block 334, in certain instances information (e.g., data,instructions, etc.) and/or the like corresponding to wireless signalbased positioning that may be available at one or more mobile devicesmay be shared, in whole or part, with one or more other mobile deviceand/or one or more other devices (e.g., a server, a network computingdevice, etc.). By way of example, at block 334, in certain instancesapparatus 300 may instruct first mobile device 104-1 (FIG. 1) totransmit various forms of information corresponding to and/or forpossible use in wireless signal based positioning to a second mobiledevice 104-2, an Nth mobile device 104-n, and/or one or more otherdevices 110. In another example, at block 334, in certain instancesapparatus 300 may receive (possibly in response to a request) variousforms of information corresponding to and/or for possible use inwireless signal based positioning via first mobile device 104-1 asreceived from a second mobile device 104-2, an Nth mobile device 104-n,and/or one or more other devices 110. Such various forms of informationthat may be transmitted by apparatus 300 may, for example, be based, atleast in part, on the various information and/or processing asrepresented by one or more of referenced items 302 through 332 and/or336 in FIG. 3. Such various forms of information that may be received byapparatus 300 may, for example, be based, at least in part, on thevarious information and/or processing obtained by apparatus 300.

In certain example implementations, such various forms of informationmay comprise various types of positioning assistance data (e.g.,electronic maps, signal heatmaps, routing information, SPS almanacinformation, etc.), that may be useful to apparatus 300 and/or one ormore of the mobile devices 104-1, 104-2, and/or 104-n (FIG. 1), toprovide/support wireless signal positioning. For example, it may bebeneficial to provide current/updated positioning assistance data and/orthe like to a mobile device that may have recently become or may beexpected to become potentially available for wireless signal basedpositioning.

At example block 336, in certain implementations apparatus 300 mayinitiate one or more mode and/or power state transitions in one or moreof the mobile devices. For example, apparatus 300 may initiate suchtransitions, based, at least in part, on information considered and/ordeterminations made at decision processes represented at blocks 308,310, 326, 328, 330, 332, and 334, just to name a few examples. Here, forexample, at block 336 apparatus 300 may initiate transmission of one ormore signals from a first mobile device 104-1 to a second mobile device104-2 (FIG. 1) indicating an approval for second mobile device 104-2 tochange from a higher usage power state to a lower usage power state. Forexample, if second mobile device 104-2 is determined at block 326 to bepotentially unavailable for wireless signal based positioning, it may bebeneficial for second mobile device 104-2 to transition from a higherusage power state to a lower usage power state, e.g., possibly reducingpower consumption, processing load, etc., at second mobile device 104-2.In certain instances, for example, a higher usage power state and/orother like mode of operation may comprise maintaining power to operateone or more receivers that may be used in wireless signal basedpositioning, and conversely, a lower usage power state and/or other likemode of operation may comprise reducing/removing power to one or moresuch receivers or some portion thereof.

In another example, a higher usage power state and/or other like mode ofoperation may comprise maintaining power to operate one or more sensors,and conversely, a lower usage power state and/or other like mode ofoperation may comprise reducing/removing power to one or more suchsensors or some portion thereof.

In yet another example, a higher usage power state and/or other likemode of operation may comprise maintaining power to operate one or moreuser input and/or output units, and conversely, a lower usage powerstate and/or other like mode of operation may comprise reducing/removingpower to one or more such input and/or output units or some portionthereof.

In still another example, a higher usage power state and/or other likemode of operation may comprise maintaining power to operate one or morecommunication interfaces, and conversely, a lower usage power stateand/or other like mode of operation may comprise reducing/removing powerto one or more such communication interfaces or some portion thereof.

In certain examples, a higher usage power state and/or other like modeof operation may comprise operating all or part of one or moreprocessing units according to first instruction(s)/code, and conversely,a lower usage power state and/or other like mode of operation maycomprise operating all or some portion of one or more processing unitsaccording to (different) second instruction(s)/code.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating certain features of anexample special purpose computing platform 400 that may be providedwithin a mobile device according to the various techniques providedherein. It should be understood that all or part of the features shownin computing platform 400 may be provided in first mobile device 104-1,second mobile device 104-2, and/or Nth mobile device 104-n (FIG. 1). Itshould also be understood that the example features shown in computingdevice 400 are not intended to show an exhaustive list of features thatmay be provided within a mobile device. Further still, it should beunderstood that in certain instances, one or more, or all, of the mobiledevices may be of the same or of a different type, form, manufacture,make, model, etc.

As illustrated, special purpose computing platform 400 may comprise oneor more processing units 402 (e.g., to perform data processing inaccordance with certain techniques provided herein) coupled to memory404 via one or more connections 406 (e.g., one or more electricalconductors, one or more electrically conductive paths, one or morebuses, one or more fiber-optic paths, one or more circuits, one or morebuffers, one or more transmitters, one or more receivers, etc.).Processing unit(s) 402 may, for example, be implemented in hardware or acombination of hardware and software. Processing unit(s) 402 may berepresentative of one or more circuits configurable to perform at leasta portion of a data computing procedure or process. By way of examplebut not limitation, a processing unit may include some form of asystem-on-a-chip (SOC), one or more processors, controllers,microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integratedcircuits, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, fieldprogrammable gate arrays, or the like, or any combination thereof.

Memory 404 may be representative of any data storage mechanism. Memory404 may include, for example, a primary memory 404-1 and/or a secondarymemory 404-2. Primary memory 404-1 may comprise, for example, a randomaccess memory, read only memory, etc. While illustrated in this exampleas being separate from the processing units, it should be understoodthat all or part of a primary memory may be provided within or otherwiseco-located and coupled with processing unit 402 or other like circuitrywithin the mobile device. Secondary memory 404-2 may comprise, forexample, the same or similar type of memory as primary memory and/or oneor more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, a solidmotion state memory drive, etc. In certain implementations, secondarymemory may be operatively receptive of, or otherwise configurable tocouple to, a non-transitory computer readable medium 420. Memory 404and/or non-transitory computer readable medium 420 may compriseinstructions 422 for use in performing data processing, e.g., inaccordance with the applicable techniques as provided herein.

Special purpose computing platform 400 may, for example, furthercomprise one or more communication interfaces 408. Communicationinterface 408 may, for example, comprise one or more wired and/orwireless network interface units, radios, modems, etc., represented hereby one or more receivers 410 and one or more transmitters 412. It shouldbe understood that in certain implementations, communication interface408 may comprise one or more transceivers, and/or the like. Further, itshould be understood that although not shown, communication interface408 may comprise one or more antennas and/or other circuitry as may beapplicable given the communication interface capability.

In accordance with certain example implementations, communicationinterface 408 may, for example, be enabled for use with various wiredcommunication networks, e.g., such as telephone system, a local areanetwork, a wide area network, a personal area network, an intranet, theInternet, etc.

In accordance with certain example implementations, communicationinterface 408 may, for example, be enabled for use with various wirelesscommunication networks such as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), awireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network(WPAN), and so on. The term “network” and “system” may be usedinterchangeably herein. A WWAN may be a Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, aFrequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single-CarrierFrequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, and so on. A CDMAnetwork may implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs) suchas cdma2000, Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Time Division Synchronous CodeDivision Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), to name just a few radiotechnologies. Here, cdma2000 may include technologies implementedaccording to IS-95, IS-2000, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network mayimplement Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), DigitalAdvanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMBP capability), or some other RAT. GSMand W-CDMA are described in documents from a consortium named “3rdGeneration Partnership Project” (3GPP). Cdma2000 is described indocuments from a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2”(3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A WLAN mayinclude an IEEE 802.11x network, and a WPAN may include a Bluetoothnetwork, an IEEE 802.15x, for example. Wireless communication networksmay include so-called next generation technologies (e.g., “4G”), suchas, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE, WiMAX, UltraMobile Broadband (UMB), and/or the like. Additionally, communicationinterface(s) 408 may further provide for infrared-based communicationswith one or more other devices. A WLAN may, for example, comprise anIEEE 802.11x network, and a WPAN may comprise a Bluetooth network, anIEEE 802.15x, for example. Wireless communication implementationsdescribed herein may also be used in connection with any combination ofWWAN, WLAN or WPAN.

Representative mobile device 104 in FIG. 4 may, for example, furthercomprise one or more input and/or output units 414. Input and/or outputunits 414 may represent one or more devices or other like mechanismsthat may be used to obtain inputs from and/or provide outputs to one ormore other devices and/or a user. Thus, for example, input and/or outputunits 414 may comprise various buttons, switches, a touch pad, atrackball, a joystick, a touch screen, a keyboard, a microphone, acamera, an eye tracker, and/or the like, which may be used to receiveone or more user inputs. In certain instances, input and/or output units414 may comprise various devices that may be used in producing a visualoutput, an audible output, and/or a tactile output for a user. Forexample, input and/or output units 414 may be used to present a videodisplay, graphical user interface, positioning and/or navigation relatedinformation, visual representations of electronic map, routingdirections, etc., via a display mechanism and/or audio mechanism.

Representative mobile device 104 in FIG. 4 may, for example, compriseone or more sensors 416. For example, sensor(s) 416 may represent one ormore environmental sensors, such as, e.g., a magnetometer or compass, abarometer or altimeter, etc., and which may be useful for positioningand/or determining a certain movements. For example, sensor(s) 416 mayrepresent one or more inertial sensors, which may be useful in detectingcertain movements. Thus for example, sensor(s) 416 may comprise one ormore accelerometers, one or one or more gyroscopes. Further, in certaininstances sensor(s) 416 may comprise and/or take the form of one or moreinput devices such as a sound transducer, a microphone, a camera, alight sensor, etc.

In certain instances, some mobile devices may comprise a satellitepositioning system (SPS) receiver 418 for acquiring SPS signals 134 viaone or more antennas (not shown). SPS receiver 418 may also process, inwhole or in part, acquired SPS signals 134 for estimating a positionand/or a motion of a mobile device. In certain instances, SPS receiver418 may comprise one or more processing unit(s) (not shown), e.g., oneor more general purpose processors, one or more digital signalprocessors DSP(s), one or more specialized processors that may also beutilized to process acquired SPS signals, in whole or in part, and/orcalculate an estimated location of a mobile device. In certainimplementations, all or part of such processing of acquired SPS signalsmay be performed by other processing capabilities in a mobile device,e.g., processing unit(s) 402, memory 404, etc., in conjunction with SPSreceiver 418. Storage of SPS or other signals for use in performingpositioning operations may be performed in memory 404 or registers (notshown).

In certain instances, sensor(s) 416 may generate analog or digitalsignals that may be stored in memory 404 and processed by DPS(s) (notshown) or processing unit(s) 402 in support of one or more applicationssuch as, for example, applications directed to positioning or navigationoperations based, at least in part, on one or more positioningfunctions.

Processing unit(s) 402 may comprise a dedicated modem processor or thelike that may be capable of performing baseband processing of signalsacquired and down converted at receiver(s) 410 of communicationinterface 408 or SPS receiver 418. Similarly, a modem processor or thelike may perform baseband processing of signals to be up converted fortransmission by (wireless) transmitter(s) 412. In alternativeimplementations, instead of having a dedicated modem processor, basebandprocessing may be performed by a general purpose processor or DSP (e.g.,general purpose and/or application processor). It should be understood,however, that these are merely examples of structures that may performbaseband processing, and that claimed subject matter is not limited inthis respect. Moreover, it should be understood that the exampletechniques provided herein may be adapted for a variety of differentelectronic devices, mobile devices, transmitting devices, environments,position fix modes, etc.

Attention is drawn next to FIG. 5A, which is a flow diagram illustratingan example process 500 that may be implemented in whole or in part byexample first mobile device 104-1 (FIG. 1), example apparatus 300 (FIG.3), example special purpose computing platform 400 (FIG. 4), and/orother like electronic devices/circuits, in accordance with certainexample implementations.

At example block 502, at a first mobile device, a presence of a secondmobile device may be identified, wherein such presence may be indicativethat at least the first and second mobile devices are deemed to beco-located with an object. In certain example implementations, block 502may comprise all or part of the example decision block 308 (FIG. 3)and/or make use of all or part of the example information consideredtherein.

At example block 504, the first mobile device may identify at least afirst operative condition of the first mobile device and at least asecond operative condition of the second mobile device. In certainexample implementations, block 504 may comprise all or part of theexample decision block 310 (FIG. 3) and/or make use of all or part ofthe example information considered therein.

At example block 506, in response to a determination based, at least inpart, on at least the first operative condition and the second operativecondition, that only one of the first mobile device and the secondmobile device is classified as being available for wireless signal basedpositioning, the first mobile device may obtain one or more positioningmeasurement values based, at least in part, on one or more wirelesssignals received by the (“available”) one of the first or second mobiledevices. In certain example implementations, block 506 may comprise allor part of one or more of the example decision blocks 326, 328, 330,334, and/or 336 (FIG. 3), and/or make use of all or part of the exampleinformation considered therein.

At example block 508, the first mobile device may determine a positionfix for the object based, at least in part, on the one or morepositioning measurement values obtain at block 506. In certain exampleimplementations, block 508 may comprise all or part of the exampledecision block 332 (FIG. 3) and/or make use of all or part of theexample information considered therein.

Attention is drawn next to FIG. 5B, which is a flow diagram illustratingan example process 500′ that may be implemented in whole or in part byexample first mobile device 104-1 (FIG. 1), example apparatus 300 (FIG.3), example special purpose computing platform 400 (FIG. 4), and/orother like electronic devices/circuits, in accordance with certainexample implementations.

In certain implementations, example block 502 in FIG. 5A may be replacedor otherwise modified in whole or part by example block 502′ and/orexample block 510, as shown in FIG. 5B.

In certain implementations, example block 506 in FIG. 5A may be replacedor otherwise modified in whole or part by example block 506′ and/orexample blocks 512, 514, 516, 518, 520, and/or 522, as shown in FIG. 5B.

At example block 502′, at a first mobile device, a presence of a secondmobile device may be identified. In certain instances, at example block510, first mobile device may identify a presence of a second mobiledevice based, at least in part, on one or more of an exchange signal(s),receiving user input(s), receiving message(s) from another device, orsome combination thereof, just to name a few examples.

At example block 506′, the first mobile device may obtain one or morepositioning measurement values based, at least in part, on one or morewireless signals received by the (“available”) one of the first orsecond mobile device. In certain instances, at example block 512, thefirst mobile device may further initiate a search for at least one ofthe one or more wireless signals by the (“available”) one of the firstor second mobile device. In certain example implementations, blocks 506′and/or 512 may comprise all or part of the example decision blocks 328and/or 330 (FIG. 3) and/or make use of all or part of the exampleinformation considered therein.

At example block 514, in certain implementations a first mobile devicemay transmit a signal to a second mobile device indicating approval forthe second mobile device to change from first state or mode, to a secondstate or more. For example, at example block 514, in certainimplementations a first mobile device may (e.g., in response to adetermination that a second mobile device is classified as beingunavailable for wireless signal based positioning), transmit a signal tothe second mobile device indicating approval for the second mobiledevice to change from a higher usage power state to a lower usage powerstate. In certain example implementations, block 514 may comprise all orpart of example decision block 336 (FIG. 3) and/or make use of all orpart of the example information considered therein.

At example block 516, in certain implementations a first mobile devicemay transmit a signal to a second mobile device indicating approval forthe second mobile device to change from first state or mode, to a secondstate or more. For example, at example block 516, in certainimplementations a first mobile device may (e.g., in response to adetermination that the first mobile device is classified as beingunavailable for wireless signal based positioning), transmit one or moresignals to a second mobile device indicating approval for the secondmobile device to change from a lower usage power state to a higher usagepower state. In certain example implementations, block 514 may compriseall or part of example decision block 336 (FIG. 3) and/or make use ofall or part of the example information considered therein.

At example block 518, in certain implementations a first mobile devicemay transmit one or signals to the second mobile device indicative ofupdated wireless signal based positioning data. For example, at exampleblock 518, a first mobile device may (e.g., subsequent to adetermination that a second mobile device is classified as beingunavailable for wireless signal based positioning), transmit one or moresuch signals to the second mobile device indicative of updated wirelesssignal based positioning data. As a result, the second mobile device maybe provided with updated wireless signal based positioning data, whichmay be beneficial in the event that the second mobile device issubsequently re-classified as being available for wireless signal basedpositioning. In certain example implementations, block 516 may compriseall or part of example decision block 334 (FIG. 3) and/or make use ofall or part of the example information considered therein.

At example block 520, in certain implementations a first mobile devicemay receive one or signals from a second mobile device indicative ofupdated wireless signal based positioning data. For example, at exampleblock 520, a first mobile device may (e.g., subsequent to adetermination that the first mobile device is classified as beingunavailable for wireless signal based positioning), receive one or moresuch signals to the second mobile device indicative of updated wirelesssignal based positioning data. As a result, the first mobile device maybe provided with updated wireless signal based positioning data, whichmay be beneficial in the event that the first mobile device issubsequently re-classified as being available for wireless signal basedpositioning. In certain example implementations, block 516 may compriseall or part of example decision block 334 (FIG. 3) and/or make use ofall or part of the example information considered therein.

In furtherance of example block 506 in FIG. 5A, at example block 522 inFIG. 5B, in response to a determination that both of the first mobiledevice and the second mobile device are classified as being availablefor wireless signal based positioning, the first mobile device mayobtain one or more first positioning measurement values based, at leastin part, on one or more wireless signals received by the first mobiledevice, and one or more second positioning measurement values based, atleast in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the secondmobile device, and determine a position fix for the object based, atleast in part, on one or more positioning measurement value selectedfrom the first positioning measurement value(s) and/or one or more ofthe second positioning measurement value(s).

In particular implementations, measurements or observations obtainedfrom different mobile devices attached to a user may be used for anavigation operation. In the particular implementation shown in FIGS. 1and 2, for example, first and second mobile devices 104-1 and 104-2 mayboth receive signals transmitted by transmitters (e.g., IEEE std. 802.11access points, cellular base stations, femtocell transceiver devices,etc.). For example, the first mobile device and the second mobile devicemay each observe signals transmitted by two or more transmitters. In anembodiment, observations obtained from the first mobile device may befused with observations obtained by the second mobile device in anavigation operation such as computing a position fix.

Depending on any one of several factors as discussed above (e.g.,concealment of receiver relative to the path of signals transmitted bythe two or more transmitters), for performing a navigation operation anobservation of a signal obtained the first mobile device may havegreater utility than an observation of the signal obtained at the secondmobile device. Likewise, an observation of a different signal obtainedby the second mobile device may have greater utility than an observationof the different signal obtained by the first mobile device. In thiscontext, “utility” of an observation of signal may indicate a usefulnessof the observation relative to a different observation of the signal(e.g., obtained by a different device). For example, a utility of anobservation may be indicated by, for example, a degree to which areceiver obtaining the observation is obscured or concealed from asignal being observed, a measured received signal strength, measuredsignal to noise ratio, a measurement of the presence of multipath, ameasurement of a presence of signal interference, just to provide a fewexamples.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process performed by a first mobile deviceselect from among multiple observations from multiple devices such asthe first mobile device (e.g., first mobile device 104-1) and a secondmobile device (e.g., second mobile device 104-2 or Nth mobile device104-n) (FIG. 1). For example, aspects of the process shown in FIG. 6 maybe implemented in whole or in part by example first mobile device 104-1,example apparatus 300 (FIG. 3), example special purpose computingplatform 400 (FIG. 4), and/or other like electronic devices/circuits, inaccordance with certain example implementations. The first and secondmobile devices may be attached to different locations of a human body.While the specific example embodiment of FIG. 6 is directed to selectionbetween two mobile devices to provide observations, other embodimentsmay be directed to selection from among three or more mobile devicesco-located with a human user. At block 602, the first mobile device maydetect a presence of the second mobile device based, at least in part,on one or more of an exchange of signal(s), receiving user input(s) at auser interface, receiving message(s) from the second mobile device, orany combination thereof, for example.

At block 604, the first mobile device may acquire a first signal from afirst fixed transmitter device to obtain one or more first observationsof the first signal. The first fixed transmitter device may comprise,for example, a transceiver device such as a WWAN access transceiver(e.g., base station or femtocell transceiver), WLAN access point, WPANtransceiver, just to provide a few examples. Such observations mayinclude measurements of aspects of the first signal such as, forexample, received signal strength (e.g., RSSI), signal round-trip time(RTT), code phase, just to provide a few examples. Similarly, at block606, the first mobile device may acquire a second signal from a secondfixed transmitter device to obtain one or more first observations of thesecond signal.

Like the first mobile device at blocks 604 and 606, the second mobiledevice may acquire the first signal transmitted by the first fixedtransmitter device to obtain one or more second observations of thefirst signal and acquire the second signal transmitted by the secondmobile device to obtain one or more second observations of the secondsignal. In this context, first and second observations of the “firstsignal” need not be obtained simultaneously. For example, the firstsignal may be acquired by the first and second mobile devices atdifferent times. In addition, first and second observations may relateto different aspects or characteristics of the first signal such as, forexample, measured RSSI, RTT, code phase, frequency/Doppler, just toprovide a few examples of different aspects of an acquired signal thatmay be observed at a receiver.

At block 608, the first mobile device may receive one or more messagesfrom the second mobile device (e.g., over a wireless link using any oneof several techniques discussed herein) containing one or more secondobservations of the first signal and one or more second observations ofthe second signal. With different first and second observations of thefirst signal, the first mobile device select between the first andsecond observations of the first signal for use in subsequentcomputation (e.g., to compute a position fix). Likewise, with differentfirst and second observations of the first signal, the first mobiledevice select between the first and second observations of the secondsignal for use in the subsequent computation.

At block 610, the first mobile device may select between the first andsecond observations of the first signal for computing position fixbased, at least in part, on a first indicator of utility of the firstobservations of the first signal and a second indicator of utility ofthe second observations of the first signal. As discussed above thefirst and second indicators of utility may comprise, for example, adegree to which a receiver obtaining the observation is obscured orconcealed from a signal being observed, a measured received signalstrength, measured signal to noise ratio, a measurement of the presenceof multipath or a measurement of a presence of signal interference, orany combination thereof, just to provide a few examples. Here, block 610may select at least one of the one or more first observations of thefirst signal if the first indicator of utility is higher than the secondindicator (e.g., suggesting that the one or more first observations aremore useful in computing the position fix than the one or more secondobservations). First and second indicators may take any one of severalquantitative or symbolic forms. In another particular embodiment, anindicator of a utility of an observation may be obtained (e.g., by thefirst or second mobile device) by taking an initial radio frequency scanoperation (e.g., passive or active scan) of a signal to be observed. Theindicator may be then be determined or quantified based, at least inpart, on measurements obtained in the course of the scan operation. Inone particular example, first and second indicators may comprisenumerical values that may be compared by a threshold to determinewhether first or second observations of the one or more firstobservations provide the highest utility.

In a similar fashion, at block 612 the first mobile device may selectbetween first and second observations of the second signal for use incomputing the position fix. As pointed out above, the first mobiledevice at block 612 may select between first and second observations ofthe second signal based, at least in part, on third and fourthindicators of utility of the first and second observations of the secondsignal.

The techniques described herein may be implemented by various meansdepending upon applications according to particular features and/orexamples. For example, such methodologies may be implemented inhardware, firmware, and/or combinations thereof, along with software. Ina hardware implementation, for example, a processing unit may beimplemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processingdevices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers,microprocessors, electronic devices, other devices units designed toperform the functions described herein, and/or combinations thereof.

In the preceding detailed description, numerous specific details havebeen set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subjectmatter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatclaimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details.In other instances, methods and apparatuses that would be known by oneof ordinary skill have not been described in detail so as not to obscureclaimed subject matter.

Some portions of the preceding detailed description have been presentedin terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations onbinary digital electronic signals stored within a memory of a specificapparatus or special purpose computing device or platform. In thecontext of this particular specification, the term specific apparatus orthe like includes a general-purpose computer once it is programmed toperform particular functions pursuant to instructions from programsoftware. Algorithmic descriptions or symbolic representations areexamples of techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the signalprocessing or related arts to convey the substance of their work toothers skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, isconsidered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations or similarsignal processing leading to a desired result. In this context,operations or processing involve physical manipulation of physicalquantities. Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities maytake the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated as electronicsignals representing information. It has proven convenient at times,principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals asbits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,numerals, information, or the like. It should be understood, however,that all of these or similar terms are to be associated with appropriatephysical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unlessspecifically motion stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussion, it is appreciated that throughout this specificationdiscussions utilizing terms such as “processing”, “computing”,“calculating”, “determining”, “generating”, “obtaining”, “modifying”,“selecting”, “identifying”, and/or the like refer to actions orprocesses of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer ora similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context ofthis specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or a similarspecial purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulatingor transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic ormagnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other informationstorage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the specialpurpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.In the context of this particular patent application, the term “specificapparatus” may include a general-purpose computer once it is programmedto perform particular functions pursuant to instructions from programsoftware.

The terms, “and”, “or”, and “and/or” as used herein may include avariety of meanings that also are expected to depend at least in partupon the context in which such terms are used. Typically, “or” if usedto associate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C,here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B or C, here used in theexclusive sense. In addition, the term “one or more” as used herein maybe used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in thesingular or may be used to describe a plurality or some othercombination of features, structures or characteristics. Though, itshould be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and claimedsubject matter is not limited to this example.

While there has been illustrated and described what are presentlyconsidered to be example features, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various other modifications may be made, andequivalents may be substituted, without departing from claimed subjectmatter. Additionally, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation to the teachings of claimed subject matter withoutdeparting from the central concept described herein.

Therefore, it is intended that claimed subject matter not be limited tothe particular examples disclosed, but that such claimed subject mattermay also include all aspects falling within the scope of appendedclaims, and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising, at a first mobile device,comprising: identifying a presence of a third mobile device based, atleast in part, on an exchange of one or more messages over a wirelesscommunication link between the first mobile device and the third mobiledevice, the first mobile device and the third mobile device beingco-located with a human body; initiating a transition of a power usagestate of the first mobile device between a higher power usage state anda lower power usage state based, at least in part, on the identifiedpresence of the third mobile device, wherein the transition of the powerusage state comprises reducing or removing power to one or morereceivers of the first mobile device for obtaining one or morepositioning measurement values based, at least in part, on one or morewireless signals, the one or more positioning measurement values beingusable for determining a position fix for the first mobile device andthe third mobile device co-located with the human body; receiving, bythe first mobile device from the third mobile device, a location requestby a second mobile device for a location of the first mobile device;sending, from the first mobile device to the third mobile device, aninstruction to obtain location information corresponding to the locationrequest; receiving the location information by the first mobile devicefrom the third mobile device responsive to the instruction; and sendingthe location responsive to the location information to the second mobiledevice.
 2. The first mobile device of claim 1, wherein the power usagestate is further based, at least in part, on an operational mode of oneor more sensors of the first mobile device.
 3. The first mobile deviceof claim 1, wherein the power usage state is further based, at least inpart, on an operational mode of one or more input and/or output units ofthe first mobile device.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending thelocation responsive to the location information comprises sending thelocation responsive to the location information to the second mobiledevice from the first mobile device.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinsending the location responsive to the location information comprisessending the location responsive to the location information to the thirdmobile device from the first mobile device.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the wireless communication link comprises a Bluetoothcommunication link or a near field communication link.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the first mobile device or the thirdmobile device comprises a wearable computing device.
 8. A first mobiledevice, comprising: one or more receivers for use in wirelesssignal-based positioning; one or more communication interfaces; and oneor more processors, communicatively connected to the one or morereceivers and the one or more communication interfaces, configured to:identify a presence of a third mobile device based, at least in part, onan exchange of one or more messages over a wireless communication linkbetween the first mobile device and the third mobile device, the firstmobile device and the third mobile device being co-located with a humanbody; initiate a transition of a power usage state of the first mobiledevice between a higher power usage state and a lower power usage statebased, at least in part, on the identified presence of the third mobiledevice, wherein to initiate the transition of the power usage state theone or more processors are configured to reduce or remove power to theone or more receivers, of the first mobile device, for obtaining one ormore positioning measurement values based, at least in part, on one ormore wireless signals, the one or more positioning measurement valuesbeing usable for determining a position fix for the first mobile deviceand the third mobile device co-located with the human body; receive,from the third mobile device via at least one of the one or morecommunication interfaces, a location request by a second mobile devicefor a location of the first mobile device; send, to the third mobiledevice, an instruction to obtain location information corresponding tothe location request; receive the location information from the thirdmobile device responsive to the instruction; and send the locationresponsive to the location information to the second mobile device. 9.The first mobile device of claim 8, wherein the power usage state isfurther based, at least in part, on an operational mode of one or moresensors of the first mobile device.
 10. The first mobile device of claim8, wherein the power usage state is further based, at least in part, onan operational mode of one or more input and/or output units of thefirst mobile device.
 11. The first mobile device of claim 8, wherein thewireless communication link comprises a Bluetooth communication link ora near field communication link.
 12. The first mobile device of claim 8,wherein the first mobile device comprises a wearable computing device.13. A non-transitory storage medium comprising computer-readableinstructions stored thereon which are executable by one or moreprocessors of a first mobile device to: identify a presence of a thirdmobile device based, at least in part, on an exchange of one or moremessages over a wireless communication link between the first mobiledevice and the third mobile device, the first mobile device and thethird mobile device being co-located with a human body; initiate atransition of a power usage state of the first mobile device between ahigher power usage state and a lower power usage state based, at leastin part, on the identified presence of the third mobile device, whereinthe computer-readable instructions stored thereon executable by the oneor more processors of the first mobile device to initiate the transitionof the power usage state comprise computer-readable instructions storedthereon executable by the one or more processors of the first mobiledevice to reduce or remove power to one or more receivers, of the firstmobile device, for obtaining one or more positioning measurement valuesbased, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals, the one ormore positioning measurement values being usable for determining aposition fix for the first mobile device and the third mobile deviceco-located with the human body; receive, from the third mobile device, afirst request by a second mobile device for a location of the firstmobile device; send, to the third mobile device, a second request toobtain location information corresponding to the first request; receivethe location information from the third mobile device responsive to thesecond request; and send the location responsive to the locationinformation to the second mobile device.
 14. The storage medium of claim13, wherein the power usage state is further based, at least in part, onan operational mode of one or more sensors of the first mobile device.15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the power usage state isfurther based, at least in part, on an operational mode of one or moreinput and/or output units of the first mobile device.
 16. The storagemedium of claim 13, wherein the wireless communication link comprises aBluetooth communication link or a near field communication link.
 17. Thestorage medium of claim 13, wherein the first mobile device comprises awearable computing device.
 18. A first mobile device, comprising: meansfor identifying a presence of a third mobile device based, at least inpart, on an exchange of one or more messages over a wirelesscommunication link between the first mobile device and the third mobiledevice, the first mobile device and the third mobile device beingco-located with a human body; means for initiating a transition of apower usage state of the first mobile device between a higher powerusage state and a lower power usage state based, at least in part, onthe identified presence of the third mobile device, wherein the meansfor initiating the transition of the power usage state comprises meansfor reducing or removing power to one or more receivers of the firstmobile device for obtaining one or more positioning measurement valuesbased, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals, the one ormore positioning measurement values being usable for determining aposition fix for the first mobile device and the third mobile deviceco-located with the human body; means for receiving, from the thirdmobile device, a location request by a second mobile device for alocation of the first mobile device; means for sending an instruction toobtain location information corresponding to the location request; meansfor receiving the location information by the first mobile device fromthe third mobile device responsive to the instruction; and means forsending the location responsive to the location information to thesecond mobile device.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the locationinformation comprises a location of the first mobile device and thelocation responsive to the location information comprises the locationof the first mobile device.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein thelocation responsive to the location information comprises the locationof the third mobile device.
 21. The first mobile device of claim 8,wherein the location information comprises a location of the firstmobile device.
 22. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the locationinformation comprises a location of the first mobile device.
 23. Thefirst mobile device of claim 18, wherein the location informationcomprises a location of the first mobile device.